Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl returns to Army duty

ROBERT BURN, Associated Press

By ROBERT BURNS, AP National Security Writer

Updated 11:12 am, Monday, July 14, 2014

FILE - In this file image taken from video obtained from Voice Of Jihad Website, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, sits in a vehicle guarded by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan. A senior defense official says Bowe Bergdahl, the Army sergeant who spent nearly five years as a Taliban captive in Afghanistan, has been returned to regular Army duty. As of Monday he is assigned to U.S. Army North at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in Texas. That is the same location where he has been decompressing from the effects of his lengthy captivity.
Photo: Uncredited, AP

FILE - In this file image taken from video obtained from Voice Of...

Brooke Army Medical Center is shown Thursday, June 12, 2014, in San Antonio. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has been recovering in Germany after five years as a Taliban captive, is returning to the United States and is expected to arrive at the facility early Friday morning.
Photo: David J. Phillip, AP

Brooke Army Medical Center is shown Thursday, June 12, 2014, in San...

Jani and Bob Bergdahl speak to the media during a news conference at Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho, on Sunday, June 1, 2014. Their son, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is back in American hands, freed for five Guantanamo terrorism detainees.
Photo: Otto Kitsinger, AP

Jani and Bob Bergdahl speak to the media during a news conference...

New signs hang at Zaney's coffee house in Hailey, Idaho on Saturday, May 31, 2014 after the announcement that U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been released from captivity. Bergdahl, 28, had been held prisoner by the Taliban since June 30, 2009. He was handed over to U.S. special forces by the Taliban in exchange for the release of five Afghan detainees held by the United States.
Photo: Drew Nash, AP

New signs hang at Zaney's coffee house in Hailey, Idaho on...

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was held by the Taliban for five years.
Photo: US Army

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was held by the Taliban for five years.

This is an image from video made available by IntelCenter shows a video frame grab from the Taliban propaganda video released Friday Dec. 25, 2009 purportedly showing U.S. soldier Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl, 23, of Ketchum Idaho who was captured more than five months ago in eastern Afghanistan.It could not be confirmed immediately that it was Bergdahl in the new video, which was released to The Associated Press and other news organizations. The man identifies himself as Bergdahl, born in Sun Valley, Idaho, and gives his rank, birth date, blood type, his unit and mother's maiden name before beginning a lengthy verbal attack on the U.S. conduct of the war in Afghanistan and its relations with Muslims. (AP Photo/via IntelCenter) IntelCenter Logo must not be cropped NO SALES
Photo: AP

This is an image from video made available by IntelCenter shows a...

This is an image of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl taken while he was being held by the Taliban.
Photo: IntelCenter

This is an image of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl taken while he was being...

In this undated photo provided by the Bergdahl family and released by the Idaho National Guard, Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, of Ketchum, Idaho is shown. The Pentagon on Sunday, July 19, 2009 confirmed that the American soldier who went missing from his base in Afghanistan has been captured and identified him as a private from Idaho serving with an Alaska-based infantry regiment. The Defense Department released the name of Pfc. Bergdahl, one day after he was seen in a video posted online as saying he was "scared I won't be able to go home." (AP Photo/The Bergdahl Family) ** NO SALES **
Photo: AP

In this undated photo provided by the Bergdahl family and released...

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The U.S. Army says Bergdahl has been released from inpatient care at Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas. A statement Sunday, June 22, 2014, from the Army says the former prisoner of war in Afghanistan is now receiving outpatient care at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.
Photo: Uncredited, AP

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the U.S. Army shows Sgt....

Since arriving at Brooke Army Medical Center, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been surrounded by experts trained to help ex-captives readjust under a longtime program at Fort Sam Houston.
Photo: U.S. Army / New York Times

Since arriving at Brooke Army Medical Center, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl...

This image from video captures the arrival of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio early Friday.
Photo: Manis Calco, STR

This image from video captures the arrival of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl at...

Col. Bradley Poppen, left, answers a question during a news conference regarding Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, Friday, June 13, 2014, in San Antonio, Texas. Bergdahl, the Army sergeant who has been recovering in Germany after five years as a Taliban captive, returned to the United States early Friday to continue his medical treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Joining Poppen are U.S. Army South Commander Maj. Gen. Joseph P. DiSalvo, center, and Col. Ronald Wool. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) ORG XMIT: TXDP106
Photo: David J. Phillip

Col. Bradley Poppen, left, answers a question during a news...

U.S. Army South Commander Maj. Gen. Joseph P. DiSalvo answers a question during a news conference regarding Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and the Phase III Reintegration process, Friday, June 13, 2014, in San Antonio, Texas. Bergdahl, the Army sergeant who has been recovering in Germany after five years as a Taliban captive, returned to the United States early Friday to continue his medical treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. DiSalvo is in charge of Bergdahls Phase III Reintegration at the facility. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) ORG XMIT: TXDP112
Photo: David J. Phillip

U.S. Army South Commander Maj. Gen. Joseph P. DiSalvo answers a...

Col. Bradley Poppen answers a question during a news conference regarding Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and the Phase III Reintegration process, Friday, June 13, 2014, in San Antonio, Texas. Bergdahl, the Army sergeant who has been recovering in Germany after five years as a Taliban captive, returned to the United States early Friday to continue his medical treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) ORG XMIT: TXDP110
Photo: David J. Phillip

Col. Bradley Poppen answers a question during a news conference...

Col. Ronald Wool smiles after answering a question about Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's food requests, during a news conference Friday, June 13, 2014, in San Antonio. Bergdahl, the Army sergeant who has been recovering in Germany after five years as a Taliban captive, returned to the United States early Friday to continue his medical treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Wool is in charge of Bergdahls medical care while at the facility. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) ORG XMIT: TXDP104
Photo: David J. Phillip

Col. Ronald Wool smiles after answering a question about Sgt. Bowe...

Vehicles drive toward the entrance of Brooke Army Medical Center Friday, June 13, 2014, in San Antonio. Bowe Bergdahl, the Army sergeant who has been recovering in Germany after five years as a Taliban captive, returned to the United States early Friday to continue his medical treatment at the facility. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) ORG XMIT: TXDP101
Photo: David J. Phillip

Vehicles drive toward the entrance of Brooke Army Medical Center...

News crews are present Friday June 13, 2014 at San Antonio Military Medical Center after the arrival of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. Bergdahl was held captive by the Taliban in Afghanistan and was recently released in a controversial prisoner swap for Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Photo: JOHN DAVENPORT, San Antonio Express-News

News crews are present Friday June 13, 2014 at San Antonio Military...

News crews and vehicles are present Friday June 13, 2014 at San Antonio Military Medical Center after the arrival of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. Bergdahl was held captive by the Taliban in Afghanistan and was recently released in a controversial prisoner swap for Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Photo: JOHN DAVENPORT, San Antonio Express-News

News crews and vehicles are present Friday June 13, 2014 at San...

News crews are present Friday June 13, 2014 at San Antonio Military Medical Center after the arrival of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl. Bergdahl was held captive by the Taliban in Afghanistan and was recently released in a controversial prisoner swap for Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Photo: JOHN DAVENPORT, San Antonio Express-News

News crews are present Friday June 13, 2014 at San Antonio Military...

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 10: Tighe Barry of CodePink holds a cardboard cutout of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl during a rally outside the White House June 10, 2014 in Washington, DC. Members of ANSWER Coalition, CODEPINK and March Forward held a rally to show support for Bergdahl and his family and to denounce the media backlash that has surrounded Bergdahl's release. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Photo: Alex Wong, Getty Images

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 10: Tighe Barry of CodePink holds a...

In this image taken from video obtained from Voice Of Jihad Website, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl sits in a vehicle guarded by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban have released a video showing the handover of Bergdahl to U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan. The video, emailed to media, shows Bergdahl in traditional Afghan clothing sitting in a pickup truck parked on a hillside. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will face angry lawmakers Wednesday as he becomes the first Obama administration official to testify publicly about the controversial prisoner swap with the Taliban. Hagel is scheduled to appear before the House Armed Services Committee, which is investigating the deal that secured the end of Bergdahl’s five-year captivity. In exchange, the U.S. transferred five high-level Taliban detainees to the Gulf emirate of Qatar.
Photo: Uncredited, AP

In this image taken from video obtained from Voice Of Jihad...

FILE - In this file image taken from video obtained from Voice Of Jihad Website, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, right, stands with a Taliban fighter in eastern Afghanistan. Bergdahl was freed in a swap in which the U.S. freed five Taliban detainees, a diplomatic victory for the insurgent group. In a belt from Iraq to Pakistan, militants scored a series of successes the past weeks, a sign of their continued power 13 years into the U.S. "war on terrorism."
Photo: Uncredited, AP

House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., questions Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel during the committee's hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 11, 2014. The committee is investigating the deal that secured the end of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's five-year captivity. In exchange, the U.S. transferred five high-level detainees from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the Gulf emirate of Qatar. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Photo: Susan Walsh, STF

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl (in white) is led toward a helicopter in eastern Afghanistan after being freed. Maybe the price for his release was too steep. Then again, how could the nation believe he should have been left to die in Taliban custody?
Photo: Voice Of Jihad Website

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl (in white) is led toward a helicopter in eastern...

FILE - This June 6, 2014, file photo shows U.S. Senator Ted Cruz explains his objections to trading five Taliban for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl at the Texas GOP Convention in Fort Worth. Bergdahl was freed on May 31, 2014, in exchange for five Afghan detainees held in the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Two American values, never leave a man behind and never negotiate with terrorists, collided in the Bergdahl calamity. Each ethos runs deep in the American conscience.
Photo: Rex C. Curry, AP

FILE - This June 6, 2014, file photo shows U.S. Senator Ted Cruz...

FILE - In this Saturday, June 22, 2013 file photo, Bob Bergdahl, right, and Jani Bergdahl, the parents of captive U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, hold hands as they pray at the "Bring Bowe Back" celebration held to honor Sgt. Bergdahl in Hailey, Idaho. Hundreds of activists for missing service members gathered in the town to hear the parents of the only known U.S. prisoner of war speak just days after his Taliban captors announced they want to exchange him for prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) ORG XMIT: NYPS412
Photo: Jae C. Hong

FILE - In this Saturday, June 22, 2013 file photo, Bob Bergdahl,...

FILE - In this Saturday, May 31, 2014 file photo, President Barack Obama shakes hands with Bob Bergdahl as Jani Bergdahl stands at left, during a news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington about the release of their son, U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The soldier went missing from his outpost in Afghanistan in June 2009 and was released from Taliban captivity on May 31, 2014 in exchange for five enemy combatants held in the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) ORG XMIT: NYPS413
Photo: Carolyn Kaster

FILE - In this Saturday, May 31, 2014 file photo, President Barack...

FILE - In this Saturday, June 22, 2013 file photo, supporters of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, ride their bikes in the "Bring Bowe Back" celebration in Hailey, Idaho held to honor the captive soldier. Hundreds of activists for missing service members gathered Saturday to hear the parents of the only known U.S. prisoner of war speak just days after his Taliban captors announced they want to exchange him for prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) ORG XMIT: NYPS408
Photo: Jae C. Hong

FILE - In this Saturday, June 22, 2013 file photo, supporters of...

In this photo reviewed by a U.S. Department of Defense official, a prisoner walks through a communal pod inside an area of the Guantanamo Bay detention center known as Camp 6, an area for prisoners who are considered "highly compliant" with the rules, at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, Saturday, June 7, 2014. Until the past week, they had good reason to believe their ticket out might be imminent. But the current furor over the trade of the five Taliban prisoners for American Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl may have complicated the situation.
Photo: Ben Fox, AP

In this photo reviewed by a U.S. Department of Defense official, a...

FILE - In this Saturday, June 22, 2013 file photo, Gulf War veteran Ron Coumerilh wears a sticker to support captive U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl at the "Bring Bowe Back" celebration in Hailey, Idaho. Hundreds of activists for missing service members gathered Saturday to hear the parents of the only known U.S. prisoner of war speak just days after his Taliban captors announced they want to exchange him for prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Photo: Jae C. Hong, Associated Press

FILE - In this Saturday, June 22, 2013 file photo, Gulf War veteran...

FILE - In this Saturday, May 31, 2014 file photo, Sondra Van Ert, co-owner of Baldy Sports, ties balloons to a bike trailer in front of her store to celebrate the news of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's release in Hailey, Idaho, his hometown. Bergdahl went missing from his outpost in Afghanistan in June 2009 and was released from Taliban captivity on May 31, 2014 in exchange for five enemy combatants held in the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (AP Photo/The Times-News, Ashley Smith)
Photo: Ashley Smith, Associated Press

FILE - In this Saturday, May 31, 2014 file photo, Sondra Van Ert,...

FILE - This image made from video released Wednesday, April 7, 2010 by the the Site Intelligence Group from the Taliban shows U.S. soldier Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl. In the video, Bergdahl, captured in Afghanistan in June 2009, says he wants to return to his family in Idaho and that the war in Afghanistan is not worth the number of lives that have been lost or wasted in prison.
Photo: Anonymous, AP

FILE - This image made from video released Wednesday, April 7, 2010...

FILE - This image from video made available by IntelCenter shows a Taliban propaganda video released Friday, Dec. 25, 2009 purportedly showing U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl who was captured over five months earlier in eastern Afghanistan. The man identifies himself as Bergdahl, born in Sun Valley, Idaho, and gives his rank, birth date, blood type, his unit and mother's maiden name before beginning a lengthy verbal attack on the U.S. conduct of the war in Afghanistan and its relations with Muslims.
Photo: IntelCenter, AP

FILE - This image from video made available by IntelCenter shows a...

FILE - In this Saturday, May 31, 2014 image made from video obtained from the Voice Of Jihad website, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, a Taliban member looks at a helicopter carrying U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl taking off in eastern Afghanistan. On Wednesday, June 4, 2014, the Taliban released the video showing the handover of Bergdahl to U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan.
Photo: Uncredited, AP

FILE - In this Saturday, May 31, 2014 image made from video...

FILE - This June 4, 2014 file photo shows flags and balloons marking the release from captivity of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl adorn the sidewalk outside a shop in the soldier's hometown of Hailey, Idaho. That feel-good moment in the Rose Garden sure seems like a long time ago. Just a week after the president announced that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had been freed in Afghanistan, details emerging about the soldier, the deal and how the rescue came together are only adding to the list of questions. A look at what's known _ and unknown _ about saving Sgt. Bergdahl. (AP Photo/Brian Skoloff, File)
Photo: Brian Skoloff, Associated Press

FILE - This June 4, 2014 file photo shows flags and balloons...

A donation bucket for the family of Bowe Bergdahl sits on the counter in Zaney's Coffee Shop in downtown Hailey, Idaho, Thursday, June 5, 2014. The release of the American soldier in a prisoner swap with the Taliban has once again drawn attention to the soldier's hometown, a place accustomed to celebrity and the attention it brings. (AP Photo/Brian Skoloff) ORG XMIT: AZTS201
Photo: Brian Skoloff

A donation bucket for the family of Bowe Bergdahl sits on the...

Two members of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's unit in Afghanistan spoke to AP about the recent prisoner exchange, and they described Bergdahl as a 'deserter in a time of war.' (June 5)

Two members of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's unit in Afghanistan spoke to AP...

Photo: Antonio Perez

In this image taken from video obtained from the Voice Of Jihad Website, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl sits in a vehicle guarded by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban have released a video showing the handover of Bergdahl to U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan. The video, emailed to media on Wednesday, shows Bergdahl in traditional Afghan clothing sitting in a pickup truck parked on a hillside. More than a dozen Taliban fighters with machine guns stand around the truck and on the hillside. (AP Photo/Voice Of Jihad Website via AP video)
Photo: Uncredited, HOEP

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bowe Bergdahl, the Army sergeant who spent nearly five years as a Taliban captive in Afghanistan, was returned to regular Army duty Monday and will be made available to Army investigators for questioning about his disappearance in 2009.

In a brief statement, the Army said Bergdahl is now assigned to U.S. Army North at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in Texas, the same base where he has been decompressing from the effects of his lengthy captivity.

His exact duties were not immediately disclosed. The Army said that in his assignment to U.S. Army North he "can contribute to the mission," which is focused on homeland defense. It said the Army investigation into the circumstances of his disappearance and capture by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan in June 2009 will continue.

Bergdahl walked away from his unit after expressing misgivings about the U.S. military's role — as well as his own — in Afghanistan. He was captured by Taliban members and held by the Haqqani network for five years. He was released May 31 as part of a deal in which the U.S. released five top Taliban commanders who had been imprisoned at the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Some former members of his unit have labeled him a deserter and said some were wounded or killed looking for him. The Army has not ruled out disciplinary action against Bergdahl.

Bergdahl, 28, whose family lives in Hailey, Idaho, arrived at the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston on June 13 after nearly two weeks recuperating at a U.S. military hospital in Germany.

Army officials had said that in recent days Bergdahl was allowed to go, with supervision, to a grocery store, restaurants, shopping centers and a library as part of the process of getting him comfortable with being out in public.

Bergdahl has not commented publicly on the circumstances of his disappearance, and the Army has made no charges against him. The Army has said it is investigating Bergdahl's disappearance and capture, but that investigators will not interview him until those helping him recover say it is all right to do so.

As of last week, Bergdahl had not seen his parents since his return to the United States, according to a Pentagon official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a matter the Army has declined to discuss publicly.